The Ice Storm

A story of love, friendship, and storms

Once upon an almost-winter,

There were two forest friends who loved each other more than any other creatures In the Windy Woods.

Bear was big and strong,

Welcoming and kind,

Quiet and organized.

When he wasn't roaming the forest greeting the surrounding creatures, helping out with forest problems like a fallen log blocking a burrow, or chatting leisurely with his neighbor the possum, he was diligently collecting nuts, berries, and fish for winter. He loved his forest friends but he always knew there was work that must be done, and sometimes that made him feel a little stressed while he could hear the scurries and laughter of his friends the squirrels, bunnies and chipmunks.

Fox was vivacious and clever.

Full of joy or full of fire.

She was Bear's friend because she could make him laugh like no one else. She was good helping Bear with things like food storage even though she sometimes got bored and started plotting and planning some wild adventure. Sometimes Bear looked at his basket of acorns for winter and found that someone had drawn faces on them. Now the acorns looked like little people with hats. Of course it was Fox. She knew just how to make him smile. When Bear would get too preoccupied about preparing for winter, Fox would discover a new corner of the forest that had something special to see, and drag Bear along. She delighted in delighting him with every new species of wild flower or mushroom. Bear, delighted in serving Fox dinner and showing her the progress of his hard work.

Bear and Fox were best friends.

They were also housemates.

Fox’s fluffy tail was good company to Bear on cold nights and she was the perfect size to curl around him like a fur shawl. On rainy days that would stay inside Bear’s cave and play cards. On stormy nights they would tell each other stories if one of them was feeling scared.

They made a good team in the Windy Woods and life was good.

One year, the weather stopped following the rules. All of the animals could sense it. Something different was happening this year, and towards the end of fall, the community of the Windy Woods could sense that there was larger than normal storm coming.

Some animals started working harder in preparation for winter. But Bear and Fox were so confident in their normal way of doing things, which was so successful, that they knew everything would be fine. (Even though Bear secretly collected just a little bit of extra food, just in case). One day, on a cloudy, blustery day, Fox went on one of her adventures to the far ends of the forest. The wind awoke in her a need for adventure and she was restless. She noticed that most of the animals who were normally out and about, were quiet, and likely in their burrows. But Fox was on a mission. She wanted to get to the Rapid River before winter hit, to find a special fossil to give Bear as a Christmas Gift. She grinned as she thought of his slow spreading smile, as he would open her gift and turn it over and over in his paw. Besides, she was Fox, and Foxes are clever, so she didn’t need to pay attention to the ever-clouding sky and the increasing chill in the air.

Back in Bear’s neighborhood, a sudden icy blizzard hit. He raced into his den, hoping that Fox would be back soon. He started a little fire and started preparing for dinner. After just a few minutes, the snow turned to sleet and suddenly, the entrance to the den was covered in a thick sheet of ice. He tried to break through it, but the temperature kept dropping and the ice grew thicker by the minute. Bear was worried about Fox, but his Bear instincts overtook him, and he became sleepy. He ate his dinner, laid down thinking about Fox and missing her, but hibernation sleep overtook him. Encased in ice, Bear’s den was cozy and warm, but he couldn’t leave it. And he couldn’t turn off his bear instincts to hibernate in order to conserve energy.

Meanwhile, Fox had made it to the Rapid River, and was still looking for the perfect fossil. She noticed the weather starting to change for the worse when she felt a chill waft through her normally very warm coat of red fur. Very upset, not having found what she was looking for, she knew she had to head back home before the weather got too late.

As Fox traveled through the snow, then the sleet, and she herself became covered in ice, she finally made it to her and Bear’s den. But to her shock and dismay, the entrance was covered by thick ice. She scraped at it, called for Bear, even tried to howl like a wolf, but she could see that he was fast asleep, and it must be the deep sleep that Bears do, because he couldn’t hear her.

With tears turning into icicles as they fell down her cheeks, Fox realized that this storm was more than a normal storm. And she didn’t know how long it would last. Bear had fallen into hibernation and she would not get to see him, or explain where she had been. Worst of all, she wouldn’t be able to spend this time with him during the storm. She realized that she was very alone. What if he forgot about her?

Luckily, Fox, in her cleverness, remembered her time as a pup being raised in a forest like the Windy Wood, and she quickly found a hollow log to climb into and quickly make a small den for shelter. There were some dead leaves and pine boughs near by that hadn’t been covered by snow and ice yet (due to the protection of the trees), and she was able to create a bed, walls, and door. She was safe for now. She tried to sleep as she shivered and felt utterly alone. She missed Bear.

When morning came, Fox woke up and found that she, too, was iced inside of her den. She was so hungry, because Bear usually provided her with a nice breakfast of smoked fish and berries. She was terribly lonely, because she had no one to talk to. She started to worry that she would never get out of this log-den. That Bear would never find her. She became overwhelmed with what-ifs as her active imagination contemplated all the possible outcomes.

Meanwhile, Bear was hibernating. But his dreams were not sweet. He tossed and turned, his mind worrying about Fox. Wondering where she was. Pondering if she had actually ran away. Had he done something to upset her? What if she thought he had created the ice-doorway to keep her away? The dreams caused him to moan mournfully in his sleep, but he was a bear in hibernation and could not wake up.

Fox, in her tiny den, full of pent-up energy, frustration, homesickness, worry and boredom, started to be concerned that maybe Bear would not want her back after this storm. Maybe he liked having the den to himself. Maybe she was too adventurous, not reliable enough. Maybe she didn’t do enough to help Bear in his daily work of caring for them and collecting food.

There was a beautiful stillness of the ice-encased forest. But there was sorrow just underneath the ice.

During this time, when the Windy Woods was terribly quiet, Mother Earth was walking through her world and observing what had happened in this place. In her wisdom, she knew this would pass. This ice storm actually happened pretty regularly in the history of the world, but all the current inhabitants did not know this and would surely be terrified. As she passed by the Fox in her log, she heard her fretting and crying. Mother Nature called the Sun to shine in this spot, and the ice started melting.

Once the ice melted, Fox came out and saw Mother Nature. She was in awe of her, and immediately knew that she was good and could be trusted. She started pouring out her heart to her, about how she had gone wandering and adventuring when she should have stayed home, and now she was terribly concerned that Bear would no longer want to be best friends anymore.

Mother Nature nodded in sympathy. She reached down and gently stroked Fox’s head. She scratched under her chin, and simply said, “dear child, did you create this ice storm?” Fox blinked at her and said, “well, no, but….” Mother Nature started walking away and bid Fox to follow her.

They walked through the silent Windy Woods until they arrived at the door of Bear’s den. The ice covering the door was terribly thick. Once again, Mother Nature beckoned the sun to start shining in this spot and melting the ice-door. Fox sat nearby watching, for she was afraid to approach Bear when he woke up. She was so terribly worried that she had failed him, and he would be angry with her.

Bear felt the warmth of the sun and woke up out of his deep slumber. He saw the magical flower-and-vine covered feet of Mother Nature standing outside of his den and he came out. Fox hid behind a tree. Bear looked up at Mother Nature and said, “Mother Nature! I’m so glad you are here! A terrible ice storm locked me into my den. Fox was out and never came back. I wanted to go look for her but my bear-instincts took over and pushed me into hibernation. I was unable to go look for her! I’ve been dreaming and worrying and fretting over her. Is she ok? Did she think I locked her out? I’m so worried about what happened to her in the storm. What if she came back, found the den closed and thinks I don’t want her to share my den anymore? I don’t know what to do!”

Fox heard Bear and stepped out from behind the tree. She said, “I did come back, Bear, but your door was closed. I couldn’t open it. And I couldn’t wake you. I am safe, you see, I created my own little den, but I thought that perhaps you had decided that you didn’t want me with you anymore. That scared me.”

Bear scratched his head with his paw, incredulous to what he was hearing. “That is not true! The ice storm closed the door. And my bear-nature forced me to sleep. But I never stopped thinking about you, even in my dreams. I was worried that you were lost, or that you ran away. I’m so glad you are back!”

Mother Nature crouched down in front of these two animals with tears falling down their faces. She spoke in her beautiful voice which sounded so similar to the rushing of leaves in the Windy Woods.

“Did either of you cause the ice storm? Did either of you stop thinking of the other? Did either of you close your doors intentionally? No. You didn’t. Sometimes storms will happen in these woods, and sometimes they can be harsh and cause damage. But true friendship and loving hearts will never be driven away from each other. Stay hopeful during these storms and remember that the ice will always melt, the bear will always wake up, and the fox will always return from her adventures.”

She stood up to continue her walk across the lands to survey the damage of the storm. She turned to the Fox and Bear once more:

“Take heart my dear creatures. Hearts that are connected can never be separated. No matter what happens. Its the nature of nature, and the heart of the Windy Woods. Your hearts, no matter what, will always beat together.”

Suddenly she was gone, taken away in a light breeze, ice melting here and there around them from patches of sunlight that she had summoned.

Bear looked at Fox. “Let’s go for a walk.” Fox nodded, nuzzled Bear and began telling him the tales of the Rapid River while Bear lumbered beside her, all the while picking up acorns and walnuts for their dinner.